Sex offender accused of failing to register

SAN DIEGO COURTS  A sex offender who worked for months as a volunteer music teacher at a San Diego school pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges that he failed to notify authorities of his current address.

Vincent Harry Greco, 63, faces two felony counts: failure to register as a sex offender and failure to register a change of address. If convicted, he could be sentenced to a maximum prison term of seven years, four months.

San Diego Superior Court Judge Robert Trentacosta reduced Greco's bail yesterday to $100,000 from $500,000 and appointed the Public Defender's Office to represent him.

Deputy District Attorney Kristian Trocha said after the arraignment that Greco, who has previous convictions for sex offenses involving children, is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Part of that requirement is that he notify authorities if he moves from one residence to another.

In the current case, Trocha said, Greco is accused of moving from Poway to another part of the county without notifying law enforcement.

Until recently, Greco volunteered as a music teacher at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts for months, police said. He was arrested Sunday just before the start of a scheduled rehearsal with a youth ensemble on the campus of Mesa College.

Detectives were notified last week about possible inappropriate conduct between Greco and a student at the school, police said. San Diego police are investigating the allegation. –D.L. & T.M.